Record Review: One to avoid

[Pulcinella]

No, not the programme itself (enough of us are doing that already), but recordings to avoid.

Like others, I would much prefer the return of Interpretations on record; Building a library seems to have outlived its time, as it’s probably fair to say that there are now many recordings of works that are at worst quite adequate for any newcomer, who may well stream several versions anyway and not be saving up precious pocket money to buy something very special to start a collection with.

What might be more fun would be to have a parallel ‘One to avoid’ thread for each week’s chosen work, with reasons. BBC Music Magazine does this in their very limited written Building a library article each month.

This year’s lemons are:
Schubert: Death and the maiden; Manderling Quartett
Nielsen: S4; CBSO/Rattle
Chopin: Piano sonata 2; Pogorelich
Gershwin: Piano concerto; Previn/Pittsburgh
Brahms: Clarinet quintet; Leister and Amadeus Quartet
JSB: B minor mass; Karajan (1952/3)
Sibelius: S5; BPO/Karajan
Shostakovich: S5; Russian NO/Berglund
Haydn: Creation; Karajan’s first
Janacek: Taras Bulba; NDRSO/JEG
Pergolesi: Stabat mater; Pappano

Who’s going to be brave enough to start the ball rolling for the Mozart Gran partita?

Another article section I rather like in BBC MM is ‘I’d like another go at’ in the interviews with artists, in which they talk about how their interpretation of a work might have changed since their original recording.

[mathias broucek]

Karajan Sibelius 5? There are worse, surely?

[Pulcinella]

Karajan Sibelius 5? There are worse, surely?

Maybe the article writer (Malcolm Hayes) is one of the anti-HvK brigade!
He admits that it polarises opinion.

[jayne lee wilson]

But which HvK Sibelius 5th?
The DG mid-60s one has been (I think rightly) acclaimed as legendary....
(even though my prefs are Vanska, Sanderling ,Berglund...in several versions...)

[Oakapple]

I never warmed to the Sibelius symphonies conducted by Ashkenazy on the Decca label.

[Pulcinella]

But which HvK Sibelius 5th?
The DG mid-60s one has been (I think rightly) acclaimed as legendary....
(even though my prefs are Vanska, Sanderling ,Berglund...in several versions...)

1965, apparently.
The CD cover is a Galleria issue (I think), coupled with S6 and Swan of Tuonela.

The author of the article says (amongst other things): if you like Sibelius's Fifth Symphony to be more about Sibelius's Fifth Symphony and less about a Karajan-led parade of externally applied dynamics, it's probably best to steer clear.

[HighlandDougie]

Karajan Sibelius 5? There are worse, surely?

Hmm ... I bought last year the Universal Japan SACD re-masterings of HvK's 1960s DG Sibelius, which, apart from Tapiola, were recordings I hadn't listened to for some time. The 4th was as I had remembered but the 5th? Not really a performance I would want to listen to again. I'm sure that there are many who might think of it as legendary but - and I rather like HvK's 1950s Philharmonia recording so I have no bias against him in Sibelius's 5th - a bit of a bad day at the office as far as I am concerned.

[jayne lee wilson]

1965, apparently.
The CD cover is a Galleria issue (I think), coupled with S6 and Swan of Tuonela.

The author of the article says (amongst other things): if you like Sibelius's Fifth Symphony to be more about Sibelius's Fifth Symphony and less about a Karajan-led parade of externally applied dynamics, it's probably best to steer clear.

Not all those clichés again.....

[Tony Halstead]

No, not the programme itself (enough of us are doing that already), but recordings to avoid.

Like others, I would much prefer the return of Interpretations on record; Building a library seems to have outlived its time, as it’s probably fair to say that there are now many recordings of works that are at worst quite adequate for any newcomer, who may well stream several versions anyway and not be saving up precious pocket money to buy something very special to start a collection with.

What might be more fun would be to have a parallel ‘One to avoid’ thread for each week’s chosen work, with reasons. BBC Music Magazine does this in their very limited written Building a library article each month.

This year’s lemons are:
Schubert: Death and the maiden; Manderling Quartett
Nielsen: S4; CBSO/Rattle
Chopin: Piano sonata 2; Pogorelich
Gershwin: Piano concerto; Previn/Pittsburgh
Brahms: Clarinet quintet; Leister and Amadeus Quartet
JSB: B minor mass; Karajan (1952/3)
Sibelius: S5; BPO/Karajan
Shostakovich: S5; Russian NO/Berglund
Haydn: Creation; Karajan’s first
Janacek: Taras Bulba; NDRSO/JEG
Pergolesi: Stabat mater; Pappano

Who’s going to be brave enough to start the ball rolling for the Mozart Gran partita?

Another article section I rather like in BBC MM is ‘I’d like another go at’ in the interviews with artists, in which they talk about how their interpretation of a work might have changed since their original recording.

Do you really, really mean, which recording(s) of the Mozart Gran Partita K361 TO AVOID?

[Pulcinella]

Do you really, really mean, which recording(s) of the Mozart Gran Partita K361 TO AVOID?

Indeed I did!
Is there one that gets it so wrong that it should be hors de combat?

I simply thought that this might create an alternative point of discussion: what do people dislike about a particular performance, and why (apart from the obvious 'Well, it's conducted by Karajan' criticism).

PS: I'm listening to the BBC MM recording right now.

[Tony Halstead]

Indeed I did!
Is there one that gets it so wrong that it should be hors de combat?

I simply thought that this might create an alternative point of discussion: what do people dislike about a particular performance, and why (apart from the obvious 'Well, it's conducted by Karajan' criticism).

PS: I'm listening to the BBC MM recording right now.

Hmmm...hope you like at least some of it...I think the sublime slow movement (the Adagio not the Romanza) is too fast. Democracy doesn't always work, as we know!

[Pulcinella]

Hmmm...hope you like at least some of it...I think the sublime slow movement (the Adagio not the Romanza) is too fast. Democracy doesn't always work, as we know!

I would agree. It comes across as a little too 'driven' (I'm sure there's a better word!).

[gradus]

Horowitz playing the Chopin first Ballade from the Sony box of his rehearsals. Fascinating background to the Carnegie Hall return concert. BAL concluded the review of the box with the Chopin performance but why? If Horowitz was sent into a terrible mental decline by Szell's criticism of his playing why play a performance that could allow the listener to agree with Szell's (alleged) point of view. There is so much wonderful Horowitz to hear, was the reviewer making a point?

[LMcD]

1965, apparently.
The CD cover is a Galleria issue (I think), coupled with S6 and Swan of Tuonela.

The author of the article says (amongst other things): if you like Sibelius's Fifth Symphony to be more about Sibelius's Fifth Symphony and less about a Karajan-led parade of externally applied dynamics, it's probably best to steer clear.

My 1965 HvK Sibelius 5th is on Classikon 439 418-2 and the 'fillers' are Valse Triste, Finlandia and Tapiola.
Presumably you don't have any problems with Previn's recording of the Gershwin concerto with the LSO on EMI Classics?

[Pulcinella]

My 1965 HvK Sibelius 5th is on Classikon 439 418-2 and the 'fillers' are Valse Triste, Finlandia and Tapiola.
Presumably you don't have any problems with Previn's recording of the Gershwin concerto with the LSO on EMI Classics?

It's nothing to do with me! The recordings I listed are taken from the BBC MM articles. In the case of the Gershwin, there was specific mention of the remake being poor in relation to the 'magisterial' LSO one.